Maxie Reynolds: From hacker to underwater data center entrepeneur

11/21/23 • 36 min

About The Guest:Maxie Reynolds is a former offshore oil and gas worker turned entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of a company that specializes in placing data centers underwater, reducing cooling costs and carbon emissions. Maxie is also a stuntwoman and has a background in robotics and computer science.

Summary:Maxie Reynolds shares her journey from working offshore in the oil and gas industry to becoming an entrepreneur in the data center industry. She discusses the challenges she faced and the lessons she learned along the way. Maxie explains how her company solves the problem of high cooling costs and carbon emissions by placing data centers underwater. She also addresses misconceptions about the environmental impact of data centers and the importance of sustainability.

Key Takeaways:

Maxie Reynolds started her career as an offshore oil and gas worker before transitioning to cybersecurity and eventually founding her own company.
Placing data centers underwater reduces cooling costs by 40% and eliminates the need for electrically driven cooling systems.
Data centers placed underwater also reduce carbon emissions by 750 tons per megawatt hour of electricity used.
Water has a higher specific heat than air, making it a more efficient heat sink and preventing the surrounding water from heating up significantly.
Maxie emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the realities of sustainability and finding innovative solutions to address them.

Quotes:

"Whatever you want to do as a female, try, go, try, do it, and see how far you get." - Maxie Reynolds
"To have a good company, you have to be solving a problem." - Maxie Reynolds
"We are reliant on fossil fuel in every single way." - Maxie Reynolds
"There's no incentive to use our commodities efficiently." - Maxie Reynolds
"Reach out to people that you think are smart, even if they aren't in your circle, and start to find some of the right answers." - Maxie Reynolds

Socials and Resources:

⁠https://twitter.com/SubseaCloud⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxiereynolds/⁠

Book: The Art of Attack: Attacker Mindset for Security Professionals: ⁠https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Art+of+Attack%3A+Attacker+Mindset+for+Security+Professionals-p-9781119805472⁠

Key Takeaways:

Maxie Reynolds started her career as an offshore oil and gas worker before transitioning to cybersecurity and eventually founding her own company.
Placing data centers underwater reduces cooling costs by 40% and eliminates the need for electrically driven cooling systems.
Data centers placed underwater also reduce carbon emissions by 750 tons per megawatt hour of electricity used.
Water has a higher specific heat than air, making it a more efficient heat sink and preventing the surrounding water from heating up significantly.
Maxie emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the realities of sustainability and finding innovative solutions to address them.

Quotes:

"Whatever you want to do as a female, try, go, try, do it, and see how far you get." - Maxie Reynolds
"To have a good company, you have to be solving a problem." - Maxie Reynolds
"We are reliant on fossil fuel in every single way." - Maxie Reynolds
"There's no incentive to use our commodities efficiently." - Maxie Reynolds
"Reach out to people that you think are smart, even if they aren't in your circle, and start to find some of the right answers." - Maxie Reynolds

Socials and Resources:

⁠https://twitter.com/SubseaCloud⁠

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxiereynolds/⁠

Book: The Art of Attack: Attacker Mindset for Security Professionals: ⁠https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Art+of+Attack%3A+Attacker+Mindset+for+Security+Professionals-p-9781119805472⁠

Previous Episode

Olivia Gallucci: Offensive Security, Coding, and Content Creation

About The Guest

Olivia Gallucci is a junior at the Rochester Institute of Technology and an expert in offensive security and content creation. She has worked in various offensive roles, including pen testing and red teaming, and has also done freelance work in the field. Olivia is passionate about open source software and has contributed to several projects. She is known for her blog, oliviagallucci.com, where she shares her expertise in offensive security, open source, and glitter.

Summary

Olivia Gallucci, a junior at the Rochester Institute of Technology, shares her journey in offensive security and content creation. She emphasizes the importance of content creation in showcasing expertise and networking. Olivia discusses her experience in open source software and the benefits of contributing to the community. She also highlights her passion for malicious tool development in red teaming and exploit development. Olivia provides valuable advice for those interested in pursuing a similar career path.

Key Takeaways

Content creation is a powerful tool for showcasing expertise, networking, and finding opportunities.
Open source software provides a valuable learning platform and fosters collaboration within the community.
Malicious tool development in red teaming and exploit development requires a deep understanding of code and specific use cases.
Reading other people's code and searching GitHub for popular offensive tools are effective ways to learn and improve coding skills.
Getting a job in security or software development helps gain credibility and make connections in the field.

Quotes

"Content creation has really been great in terms of showing people what I know how to do, but also helping me know how to do what I know how to do." - Olivia Gallucci
"Open source is an amazing place to start because you have YouTube for tutorials, but when you need help, the open source community breaks it down into simple concepts." - Olivia Gallucci
"Malicious tool development is like a puzzle, figuring out where you fit in and how to modify existing code to achieve specific use cases." - Olivia Gallucci
"Reading code and understanding what others have done is crucial in exploit development and identifying vulnerabilities." - Olivia Gallucci
"Getting a job in security or software development helps gain credibility and make connections to pursue a career in exploit development." - Olivia Gallucci

Socials and Resources

https://twitter.com/OliviaGalluccii

https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-gallucci/

https://oliviagallucci.com/

Next Episode

Katie Paxton-Fear: The Importance of Content Creation in Cybersecurity Careers

About The Guest:
Katie Paxton-Fear, also known as Insider PhD, is a content creator and educator in the field of cybersecurity. With a background in software engineering, Katie creates high-quality videos on her YouTube channel that cover various topics related to web security and bug bounty hunting. She is known for her detailed and comprehensive approach to teaching and sharing knowledge in the cybersecurity field.

Summary:
In this episode of The Phillip Wylie Show, host Phillip Wylie interviews Katie Paxton-Fear, also known as Insider PhD, a content creator and educator in the field of cybersecurity. Katie shares her insights on bug bounty hunting, API security, and the importance of having hobbies outside of the computer. She emphasizes the value of content creation in building a personal brand and advancing one's career in cybersecurity. Katie also discusses her teaching approach and how she incorporates content creation into her curriculum to help students showcase their skills and knowledge.

Key Takeaways:

Bug bounty hunting is a valuable path for individuals interested in cybersecurity, but it is important to have a genuine interest in security rather than just the financial aspect.
APIs are often overlooked in terms of security, but they can be a significant vulnerability and a great place to find bugs.
When approaching bug hunting, Katie takes a top-down perspective, starting with the functionality of the application and breaking it down into its component parts to identify potential vulnerabilities.
Having hobbies outside of the computer is crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and preventing burnout in the cybersecurity field.
Content creation, such as writing blogs or creating videos, is highly beneficial for personal branding and career advancement in cybersecurity.

Quotes:

"Bug hunting is really interesting. It's like having a puzzle, except you only have a few pieces, they're completely blank, and you're not sure if they came from the same set." - Katie Paxton-Fear
"It's really easy to get caught up in 'I finish work, I'm going to go look at my phone.' I think it's really important to have hobbies that just do not involve a computer at all." - Katie Paxton-Fear
"Content creation is the biggest thing you can do for your personal career. It changes the equation in hiring, where companies come to you instead of you chasing them." - Katie Paxton-Fear

Socials and Resources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiepf/

https://www.youtube.com/@InsiderPhD

https://twitter.com/InsiderPhD